Oval Room Brasserie — Restaurant in Winnipeg

edit - Nov 19/23 (from 5 star to 2 star): this was easily in my top favorite restaurants in the city and I have spent many birthdays at this restaurant - I do not see myself going back anytime soon, if ever. I and some friends made reservations to go to the Oval Room. we went on a Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and although we expected the restaurant to be busy, there was only a handful of patrons which hopefully meant quick, attentive service, and top notch food. The service was mediocre at best. It was not completely lacking, but was inattentive (more on that later). After perusing the menu, the entire table agreed that the items seemed quite overpriced. I typically will order a burger for lunch every time I go somewhere, and at $30 for a burger and fries, this is easily one of the more expensive burgers in the city. On principle, I opted not to have the burger, and instead had the roast beef sandwich (I could not imagine a burger in Winnipeg being worth $30). Another member of the party ordered eggs benedict with a side order of sourdough toast, and another member ordered the mushroom tartine. The food arrived at the table in a reasonable amount of time, but the food temperature made us question how long it might have been sitting in the kitchen before it was served. two of us at the table had the roast beef sandwich, and both of us immediately noticed that the fries were lukewarm at best, and everything on the plate was under seasoned (sadly, deli meat from a grocery store had more flavor than the roast beef). in spite of the server saying that the fries were 'very very good' they were no better than a fast food restaurant, and I guess for the price, it actually makes them worse. The roast beef was also under seasoned and barely warm, to the point that the cheese they put on top of the sandwich did not even melt. The member in our party who had the eggs Benedict was immediately shocked at the sparse serving of new potatoes to accompany the eggs Benedict - there were literally seven halves of new potatoes, totaling 3½ tiny potatoes. He also did not get his toast with his order, and we assumed we were going to get it after she served the entrees, but the toast never came. Perhaps the most shocking breakfast was the mushroom tartine. The person at the table who ordered it attempted to cut the tartine with a regular table/butter knife, but after nearly sawing through it, we eventually had to ask for a steak knife for her to cut the tartine!!? And $5 for a cup of coffee? FGH/Oval Room ought to revisit the execution of their menu. It was very disappointing for everyone at the table, and none of us left full. This had all the right ingredients to be wonderful -...

It's unfortunate that I have to share such a negative review, but I hope it leads to improvements.

Hotel Fort Garry is an iconic hotel with fantastic amenities, such as Ten Spa, a new Italian restaurant, a comedy club, and, of course, the infamous Oval Room. While it is on the pricier side, I believe it's well worth dining in this beautiful space. The food is excellent, and the service has been outstanding. A special mention goes to the host, Pauline, who is incredibly accommodating and pleasant.

However, I wish the owners or management would reconsider their policy on adding music to the venue. It seriously affects the ambiance of the restaurant—it feels more like a cafeteria than a fine dining experience.

When you visit a vibrant city and stay at a highly rated hotel or dine at a top-tier restaurant, you expect to hear music. It doesn't need to be as loud as a concert, nor genre-specific, but something that enhances the atmosphere. Even elevators play music! It's challenging to entertain out-of-town visitors at your venue when the experience is marred by the dull sounds of plates, cutlery, and casual conversation. The previous room had live music, which was fantastic. I understand that this comes at a cost, but perhaps just some background music would be a good compromise. It could enhance the overall vibe and encourage more people to stick around for cocktails in your beautiful establishment.

Hotel Fort Garry is centrally located, making it the ideal place to get dressed up, enjoy a great meal, take in entertainment downstairs, and truly experience Winnipeg as a big city. I hope you make adjustments, or at the very least, consider renaming it the "Boring Room Brasserie."

Tip: Check out Solera's Lounge. It offers great background music, dim lights, excellent cocktails, snacks, and service......

This was our first night in Winnipeg and our first restaurant. We're staying at the Fort Garry so The Oval Room was very convenient for a Sunday night when most restaurants are closed.

Surprisingly, it was very busy. That may explain why the service was a bit slow. This wasn't really a problem for us, we had no where else to be, but two hours for our entre, the open faced salmon sandwich and roasted bussel sprouts, is slower than we would have expected. By the time they arrived the brussel sprouts were beginning to cool but it was still tasty.

We started the evening with a couple of cockails, both of which were delicious. A significant while after that our appetisers arrived, the pickeral and Balthazar salad. Both were fantastic! The highlight of the meal.

As I mentioned, the brussel sprouts were cooler than they should have been but were still tasty and the sandwich was cold anyway. The bread on the sandwich was good but the crust made it difficult to cut into bite-sized pieces. The smoked salmon in the sandwhich is cooked salmon (I couldn't detect any smokiness), not the gravlax-style smoked salmon. Again, tasty but not exactly as expected.

It was unusully busy this Sunday of a long weekend, which may explain the slower service and noisiness. But the tables are well separated so you don't feel like you're eating with strangers and it is a stunning room.

The prices are reasonable for this calibre of experience and the menu is varied and creative. You can dress up if you like, but you'll also be comfortable in everyday attire.

I would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants a high-end but casual...